LendingClub Names Balaji Thiagarajan as CTO

Digital marketplace bank LendingClub has named Google and Microsoft vet Balaji Thiagarajan as the company’s new Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

“Balaji joins us at a transformational point in our evolution,” LendingClub CEO Scott Sanborn said in a news release Thursday (Feb. 10).

“His extensive experience in direct-to-consumer technology organizations that leverage big data, machine learning, mobile technologies, and cloud computing to deliver on both incredible business and customer outcomes is second to none. He is perfectly suited to lead the technology organization as we create the digital marketplace bank of the future.”

Thiagarajan has more than 25 years of experience in leading product management, engineering, and technology operations, as well as overseeing innovations big data, machine learning, mobile and cloud computing, per the announcement.

Before coming to LendingClub, he served as CTO of Change Healthcare, a $3 billion health technology company. In addition to his time at Google and Microsoft, he has held senior technology roles at Uber, Oracle and Yahoo.

At LendingClub, he will be responsible for leading all product development, including the San Francisco firm’s financial application suite and business platforms, technology operations, product management and enterprise program management.

“I’m excited to join a company that has its sights set on transforming fintech,” said Thiagarajan. “LendingClub has been a fintech leader for 15 years and I’m looking forward to building on the company’s massive capabilities to deliver a seamless, integrated, mobile-first experience that blends lending, spending, and savings to stay ahead of consumer expectations of next-generation digital banking.”

Read more: LendingClub Aims for the Cloud, More Mobile-First Platforms in ’22

Thiagarajan arrives at LendingClub at a time when the company is moving toward becoming a mobile-first, cloud-based digital bank, as Sanborn put it in an earnings call last month.

“This is where the consumer is headed and where we must continue to meet their expectations,” the CEO said. “Consumers want financial services that are seamless, on their terms — and they want personalized and predictive tools and information to make better and faster financial decisions.”